“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.” James 3:13.

This segment begins with a question, “Who is wise and understanding among you?” We began chapter 3 with the things that come out of the mouth, we continue now with things that come out of the heart.

“Let him show by good conduct”, as we have seen in chapter 2 our works show our faith, now our conduct shows who we are.

The J. N. Darby translation of the Bible renders this phrase, “Let him shew out of a good conversation…”, so the word conversation brings us back to the tongue, as discussed earlier.

Regardless of how you read it, conversation is what you say and conduct is what you do, which would include conversation. Still, it shows the importance of your words in your conduct, something which ought not to be forgotten.

Your good conduct shows that your works are done in meekness of wisdom. The Amplified New Testament expands the word meekness to mean unobtrusive humility, and goes on to say that this is the proper attribute of true wisdom.

Why does it say good conduct shows that our works are done in humble wisdom?

I believe the answer to the question is that people may question your motives, thinking that your actions are for selfish reasons. However, if a person is known to be a kind, unobtrusive sort, then their reputation will show that their works are done out of a genuine heart.

The account of Dorcas may fit here.

“At Joppa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and charitable deeds which she did.” Acts 9:36.

Dorcas became ill and died and Peter was sent for.

“Then Peter arose and went with them. When he had come, they brought him to the upper room. And all the widows stood by him weeping, showing the tunics and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them. But Peter put them all out, and knelt down and prayed. And turning to the body he said, ‘Tabitha, arise.’ And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. Then he gave her his hand and lifted her up; and when he had called the saints and widows, he presented her alive.” Acts 9:39-41.

That was a woman whose motivations were never questioned.

“But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic.” James 3:14-15.

We all have a tendency to envy at times, but the word bitter adds a whole new dimension to envy; in this case bitter means, harsh, virulent; which makes envy a dangerous thing. Envy can also be defined as jealousy.

The marginal note in my Bible gives an alternate for the words self-seeking as, selfish ambition.

Even more interestingly, the King James Version, substitutes the word strife for self-seeking. And Thayer’s Lexicon defines strife as, “a courting of distinction, a desire to put one’s self forward, a partisan and factious spirit, which does not disdain low arts. Partisanship, factiousness.”

Perhaps the verse could be stated in this manner; if you have in your heart a harsh, virulent, bitter and selfish ambition which would stoop to any low to put yourself forward, do not proudly boast saying this is of God when it is not.

Now that is harsh.

Still, you see this every day in the workplace, in politics, and in church. These machinations are of the world and there is nothing that can be done about it outside of Christ; but this does not belong in the church body, nor are Christians to use these methods anywhere, anytime, at all.

Unfortunately, it is methods like this used within the church that have destroyed its witness, and while atheists like to mock Christians for this pitiful state, it is other ungodly men who have wormed their way into the church hierarchy and all but destroyed it from within.

While self-seeking Christians have also helped in wrecking the church, it is the apathetic Christian in the pew who is most to blame for allowing these things to go unchallenged.

This “wisdom does not descend from above”. It is, worldly, pertains to the wisdom of man, filled with error and misleading; wisdom gained through observations made of the world around us and twisted by our own personal prejudices, Scripture is often butchered to fit this world view.

This is evident when someone says, “Your God is vindictive and spiteful, my God is loving and kind and would never condemn someone for living life the way they feel is right.”

This Santa God is not the one in the Bible but rather a made up one taken from scraps of Bible verses and worldly observations.

Sensual, a nature subject to appetites and passions, living for today like the animals; sensual pertains to the gratification of the senses, appetites, carnal, voluptuous; materialistic, worldly, irreligious.

The philosophy of hedonism fits this mold; the gratification of the senses is the highest goal. The best sound equipment, the best clothes, food, wine, sex, and cars.

Obviously most of these things are necessities; you need the proper clothes to go to work in, if you can get an occasional steak, nice, wine if you believe in it and if you are not going to get blotto, an eight dollar bottle will do as well as a fifty dollar one, sex with your spouse, a new car, if you need it; these things are here for us to use, not worship.

Demonic, one translation renders it demon-like; this word really encompasses both earthly and sensual because it explains why, “This wisdom does not descend from above”, it is all straight from the pit of hell.

Satan, working through his demons, has over the millennia blinded men, twisted and formed all worldly wisdom to accomplish his own destructive designs.

While it is true that some of the virtues, such as, temperance, prudence, courage, and justice, put forth by the Greek philosophers have merit, they are subjective, logical, and at least proof that God has placed a conscience in us all.

“… (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things contained in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them)…” Romans 2:13-15.

“For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing will be there.” James 3:16.

In an envying and self-seeking environment, every man is for himself, literally, each has a plan for his own agenda, and each is willing to stoop to any low to accomplish his goals. He is for himself. Here you can see that with different ideologies, or different goals in the same room chaos will reign.

Have you ever asked yourself, why, since everyone cries out, “Peace, peace!” we have no peace?

If this is mankind’s almost unanimous goal, why can we not reach it? Should be a piece of cake, right?

When we return to the envying and self-seeking environment, the truth becomes self-evident.

The communists promise a utopian existence once the world becomes completely communist. The problem is, folks look at the death and the rubble that they call a country after they take over and see that the land is actually governed by megalomaniac thugs, who are not about to give up their power, and they say to themselves, “I prefer my freedom.”

Islam wants to bring peace to the world. However that peace will not come until every infidel is either converted or killed, and every Jew has been annihilated. Contrary to popular belief, Islam and communism are not that far apart in their thinking.

“After seizing control of Russia in the 1917 revolution, Lenin wrote a ‘Call to Muslims.’ He declared, ‘Muslim people of Russia …all of your mosques and religious places were being destroyed during the reign of the Czar. …From today your beliefs and ideals will prevail and should remain free forever.’” The Voice of the Martyrs magazine, October 2010, page six. Website: www.persecution.com, if you are interested.

Still, if the world were divided in half, one half communist and one half Muslim, it would not be long at all before they would destroy each other in a holocaust.

If the Muslims win, war will break out between the Shiites and the Sunni Muslim factions and the winner would go back to oppressing and enslaving men and women. The women will be the real losers.

Liberal/socialists, wish to create a nanny state with the elite controlling every aspect of the common man, to do this onerous taxes must be levied which would take much of the joy and incentive out of private enterprise.

Beside all that, who decides who the elite are?

The answer is simple, the rich who are at the top of the heap and little different from the thugs of communism. If you look carefully at the two systems, communism and socialism, you will see that evolution is the basis of their philosophy. Flawed systems built upon a despicable theory.

And American government which was created in a Judeo/Christian framework is however a high maintenance system as seen in the Gettysburg Address.

“… that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, November 19th, 1863.

“…of the people, by the people, for the people”, it is the responsibility of every citizen to know who they are voting for and then vote; not cry about their representative’s lack of representation.

Once men become lazy, and they will, those with their own agenda will take that freedom away. Sometimes with the promise of security as the liberals constantly do.

Benjamin Franklin is quoted as saying, “Those who trade liberty for security deserve neither.”

The mindset of all Americans should be as follows.

“All that is needed for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing.” Edmund Burke.

So everyone wants peace, but they want it on their own terms, even if they have to kill and destroy to gain it.

“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.” James 3:17.

Depending on its usage the word translated wisdom can be interpreted in different ways; for instance, the word wisdom used here is in contrast to the worldly wisdom in verse 15 with its earthly, sensual, and demonic aspects.

According to Thayer’s Lexicon the word wisdom here is “the knowledge and practice of the requisites for godly and upright living”.

This knowledge is gained through study of Scripture and as Jesus said.

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” John 15:5.

You can spend 1% of your time, 10% of your time, 60% of your time, 90% of your time, or 100% of your time abiding in Christ by studying your Bible, praying, and meditating on Christ, it is up to you.

However, like any endeavor, you will get out of it what you put into it. Do you really want to know God; do you covet His wisdom?

Heavenly wisdom is first pure, without fault, spotless, perfect, as you might expect it to be.

Heavenly wisdom is peaceable, characterized by a love of peace. It is gentle, one with a reasonable, fair demeanor.

“Willing to yield” New King James, or “easy to be intreated”, King James Version, one who is willing to concede to reason, is easily obedient, submissive, dutiful.

“…full of mercy”, a mind filled with thoughts of kindness toward those who are in misery or affliction coupled with a desire to help them.

“…good fruits”, to better define good fruits it would be useful to read what some of them are, as seen in Galatians below.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23.

“Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” James 3:18.

In this we have a sort of farming cycle, the peaceful sower sows the seed of righteousness and as it is with all plants, the sower reaps righteousness. What a pleasant thought, we can sow righteousness and receive an abundant crop of the same.

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27.

Who is Wise and Understanding, James 3:13-18, taken from godisrevealed.com posted on 3-13-18 updated on 10-30-20.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version, copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission, all rights reserved.